Watch This Charming 1963 Documentary About Ray Bradbury

BY Anna Green

April 28, 2016

In 1963, science fiction and fantasy writer Ray Bradbury was the subject of a short documentary by David L. Wolper called “Story of a Writer.” Following Bradbury as he performs magic tricks for his kids, bikes around Los Angeles, and types away in his cluttered basement office, the documentary provides a fascinating glimpse into the personal life of the beloved writer.

The documentary, produced in the years leading up to the moon landing, presents Bradbury not only as a writer, but as something of a spokesman for the space age. “Much of his writing explores the future, the way man may live and think tomorrow,” explains the narrator. “But as his visions of tomorrow are overtaken by the events and scientific developments of today, as man steps beyond the threshold of space, Ray Bradbury, writer of the strange and the fantastic, finds himself a prophet in his own time.”

Over the course of the film, Bradbury ruminates about outer space and human technology, shares his feelings about robots, computers, and atomic power. He also provides plenty of advice for aspiring writers, explaining how tough it can be to break into the business, and how important it is to follow your passion. Check it out above.

Fans of Broadway hit Hamilton will soon be able to dine like the Founding Fathers: As Eater reports, a new Alexander Hamilton-inspired cookbook is slated for release in fall 2017.

Amazon

Called The Hamilton Cookbook: Cooking, Eating, and Entertaining in Hamilton’s World, the recipe collection by author Laura Kumin “takes you into Hamilton’s home and to his table, with historical information, recipes, and tips on how you can prepare food and serve the food that our founding fathers enjoyed in their day,” according to the Amazon description. It also recounts Hamilton’s favorite dishes, how he enjoyed them, and which ingredients were used.

Recipes included are cauliflower florets two ways, fried sausages and apples, gingerbread cake, and apple pie. (Cue the "young, scrappy, and hungry" references.) The cookbook’s official release is on November 21—but until then, you can stave off your appetite for all things Hamilton-related by downloading the musical’s new app.

While reading The Lord of the Rings saga, it's hard not to notice J.R.R. Tolkien’s clear love of nature. The books are replete with descriptions of lush foliage, rolling prairies, and coniferous forests. A new botany book builds on that knowledge. Entertainment Weekly reports that Flora of Middle-Earth: Plants of J.R.R. Tolkien's Legendarium provides fantasy-loving naturalists with a round-up of plants that grow in Middle-earth.

Written by University of Florida botanist Walter Judd, the book explores the ecology, etymology, and importance of over 160 plants. Many are either real—coffee, barley, wheat, etc.—or based on real-life species. (For example, pipe-weed may be tobacco, and mallorns are large trees similar to beech trees.)

Using his botany background, Judd explores why Tolkien may have felt compelled to include each in his fantasy world. His analyses are paired with woodcut-style drawings by artist Graham Judd, which depict Middle-earth's flowers, vegetables, fruits, herbs, and shrubs in their "natural" environments.